Apparatus for indicating and adjusting lay of elements



April 19, 1955 R. A. KERR 2,706,376

APPARATUS FOR INDICATING AND ADJUSTING LAY 0F ELEMENTS Filed May 24, 1954 United States Patent O APPARATUS FOR INDICATING AND ADJUSTING LAY F ELEMENTS Robert A. Kerr, Lachine, Quebec, Canada, assignor to Northern Electric Company, Limited, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, a corporation of Canada Application May 24, 1954, Serial No. 431,933

4 Claims. (Cl. 57--6) This invention relates to electrical cable mechanisms and more particularly to a method and apparatus for determining and adjusting the lay of the elements formed into a cable by such mechanisms.

In the forming of elements into a cable by forming mechanisms, the degree of lay of the strands, tape or like elements being cabled together or over an advancing core depends on the relative rate of rotation of the member advancing the elements longitudinally with that of the member stranding the elements. The degree of lay of the elements can be adjusted to that required by providing the members with variable speed drives but it has been found impractical heretofore to adjust the lays when these drives are used with a result that change gears have been employed. For practical reasons, only a limited number of change gears can be provided.

It is an object of this invention to provide a method and apparatus for determining the lay of elements being advanced longitudinally by a forming mechanism.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a method and apparatus for determining and adjusting the lay of elements being advanced longitudinally by a forming mechanism.

I obtain these and other objects by transmitting a series of electrical impulses per unit of length of travel of the advancing cable to an impulse counting recorder and correlating this with the rate of rotation of an element stranding member, the number of impulses recorded bearing a relation to the lay of the elements.

The invention will be better understood by referring to the following detailed description of a specific embodiment of the invention, taken in connection with the single drawing showing the circuit with the essential elements for carrying out the invention.

Considering the drawing, the elements 1 are supplied from the dispenser 2 and the stranding members, 3, 4, 5 to form the completed cable 6 which is advanced longitudinally by the advancing member 7, the members 3, 4, 5, 7 being driven by fixed or variable speed driving means described hereinafter.

The advancing member 7 is equipped with an interrupting means consisting of a speed reducing gear 8 and an interrupting cam 9 which cooperate with a pulsing circuit consisting of a switch 10, normally arranged in the open position, an impulse counting recorder 11, equipped with resetting actuator 12, connected to terminal 1 of switch 10 by conductor 13, a rotating stepping switch 14 having three banks 15, 16, 17 each of twelve contacts, wipers 18, 19, 20 respectively therefor ganged together for concurrent operation and actuated by stepping means 21, wiper 20 being connected to recorder 11 by conductor 22 and an energy source 23 the negative terminal thereof being connected to contacts 1, 2, 3 of banks 15, 16, 17 respectively by conductor 24 and the positive terminal to terminal 2 of switch 10 by conductor 25.

Stranding members 3, 4, 5 are equipped with projections 26, 27, 28 respectively which cooperate with a counting circuit consisting of switches 29, 30, 31 normally arranged in the open position, a multi-terminal rotary switch 32, having a movable wiper 33, terminals 1, 2, 3 of this switch being connected to terminals 1 of switches 29, 30, 31 by conductors 34, 35, 36 respectively, a switch 37 operated by actuator 38 arranged when in the normal or unoperated position, so that the elements associated with terminals 1 and 2, 4 and 5 are in the closed position and connected to wiper 33 and stepping means 21, wiper 19 of switch 14 and stepping means 21 by conductors 39 and Patented Apr. 19, 1955 40, 41 and 42 respectively and the elements associated with terminals 3 and 6 are in the open position and connected to the positive terminal of energy source 23 and wiper 18 of bank 15 of switching means 14 by conductors 43 and 44 respectively.

A pilot lamp 45 is connected between the positive terminal of energy source 23 and wiper 19 of bank 16 of slwitching means 14 by conductors 46 and 47 respective y.

The drive for the stranding members 3, 4 and 5 consists of ring gears 48, 49 and 56, secured to the members 3, 4 and 5 respectively, which engage with pinions 51, 52 and 53 respectively, which in turn are driven by the variable speed transmissions units 54, 55 and 56 respectively, which can be either a change gear arrangement or an infinitely variable mechanical or hydraulic transmission such as the well known Reeves or Oilgear transmissions. Each of the units 54, 55 and 56 are set in the desired position by actuating means 57, 58 and 59 respectively. The units 54, 55 and 56 are driven by motor 60 through pinion 61, gear 62 and shaft 63. Motor 60 also drives the variable transmission unit 64, whose ratio is set by actuator 65, and which drives the advancing member 7 through gear 66, bevel gear 67, pulleys 68, 69 connected by chain or other positive means 70.

In the operation of the apparatus the pulsing circuit controlled by the advancing member 7 transmits a series of impulses per unit length of the advancing cable to the impulse counting recorder 11 and concurrently therewith the counting circuit counts a predetermined number of revolutions of a selected stranding member 3 or 4 or 5, the number of impulses recorded giving an indication of the lay of the elements 1 for the cable 6 formed.

In carrying out the above operation, recorder 11 is set at zero by the manual actuation of the resetting actuator 12 and switch 32 is set in accordance with the particular stranding member 3, 4, or 5, member 4 for example as shown, for which the lay of the elements being formed thereby is to be determined. The forming mechanism, members 3, 4, 5 and 7, is then adjusted for the lay required, by adjusting the change gears or variable speed transmission of units 54, 55 and 56, which determine the rate of lay of the elements being applied, and unit 64 which determines the rate of advance of the cable 6. The mechanism is then set in motion.

The pulsing circuit may be traced from the positive terminal of energy source 23, conductor 25, switch 10, conductor 13, recorder 11, conductor 22, wiper 20 and contact 3 of bank 17, conductor 24 to the negative terminal of energy source 23. Advancing member 7 interrupts switch 10 but, since the wiper 20 is out of engagement at this stage with contact 3 of bank 17 of switch 14, the pulsing circuit is broken thereat and no impulses are transmitted.

At this time, the counting circuit may be traced from the positive terminal of energy source 23, conductor 25, switch 30, conductor 35, terminal 2 and wiper 33 of switch 32, conductor 39, terminals 1 and 2 of switch 37, conductor 40, stepping means 21, conductor 42, terminals 4, 5 of switch 37, conductor 41, wiper 19, bank 16 and conductor 24 to the negative terminal of energy source 23. However, switch 14 does not step at this stage since the \ltvper 19 is out of engagement with contact 2 of bank To obtain a reading of the lay of elements 1 being formed in a cable 6, actuator 38 is operated manually to complete the counting circuit which now can be traced from the positive terminal of energy source 23, conductor 43, terminals 3, 2 of switch 37, conductor 40, stepping means 21, conductor 42, terminals 5, 6 of switch 37 conductor 44, wiper 18, contact 1 of bank 15 and conductor 24 to the negative terminal of energy source 23. Switch 14 therefore steps to its next position so that wipers 18, 19, 20 are engaged with contacts 2 of their respective banks 15, 16, 17. Thereupon, a circuit is established from the positive terminal of energy source 23 through conductor 25, conductor 46, lamp 45, conductor 47, conductor 41, wiper 19, contact 2 of bank 16 and conductor 24 to the negative terminal of energy source 23 thereby lighting lamp 45 to indicate the active condition of the counting circuit. As long as actuator 38 is held operated, no further stepping of switch 14 can take place since wiper 18 is now out of engagement with its contact 1 of bank 15. Similarly no pulsing at this stage can take place since wiper 20 is still out of engagement with its contact 3 of bank 17.

Upon the release of the actuator 38, the counting circuit is transferred back through wiper 19 and contact 2 of bank 16 which permits the stepping means 21 to step once more so that all the wipers 18, 19, 20 of switch 14 are rotated to contacts 3 of their respective banks 15, 16, 17. This circuit may be traced now from the positive terminal of energy source 23 through conductor 25, switch 30, conductor 35, switch 32, conductor 39, terminals 1, 2 of switch 37, conductor 40, stepping means 21, conductor 42, terminals 5, 4 of switch 37, conductor 41, wiper 19, contact 2 of bank 16 and conductor 24 to the negative terminal of energy source 23.

Since the contacts 2 to 12 inclusive, of bank 16 are interconnected and contacts 3 to 12 inclusive, of bank 17 are interconnected, the stepping switch 14 will continue to step by the opening and closing of the switch 30 by the action of projection 27 of stranding member 4 and simultaneously a series of impulses per unit length of the cable being advanced will be transmitted to the recorder 11 by the opening and closing of switch 10 through the action of the cam 9. When the wipers 18, 19, 20 move out of engagement with terminals 12 of their respective banks 15, 16, 17, the pulsing and counting circuits return to their original inactive condition and the lamp 45 is extinguished to indicate this condition of inactivity.

Ths apparatus therefore records the number of pulses transmitted for a predetermined number of revolutions of the stranding members 3, 4 or 5. If, for example, the stranding members 3, 4 or 5 rotate ten times and the interrupting means, cam 9 and switch 10, is arranged to transmit 10 impulses per inch length of the cable being advanced and the total impulses for the ten revolutions of the stranding members 3, 4 or 5 is 2178, as shown in the drawing, then the lay of the elements is 100 or 21.78 inches.

It will be apparent from the above that the cable forming mechanism may be set for the lay required and an indication of this lay and its adjustment, if necessary, may be achieved, while the forming is being performed, by adjusting the variable speeds of the units 54, 55, 56 and 64 associated with the forming mechanism without any calibration of the pulse recording means.

What is claimed is:

1. Apparatus for indicating and adjusting the lay of the elements being advanced longitudinally to form a cable by a forming mechanism including a rotatable cable advancing member and a rotatable element stranding member, the cooperation of which determines the lay of the elements, and a variable speed drive therefor, comprising in combination therewith, an electrical pulsing circuit, an impulse counting means therefore, means associated with the advancing member arranged to intermittently actuate the pulsing circuit whereby a series of impulses per unit of length of the advancing cable is transmitted to the counting means, a disabling means included in the pulsing circuit, means associated with the stranding member arranged, after a predetermined rotation thereof, to actuate the disabling means, and means to adjust the speed of the variable drive.

2. Apparatus for indicating and adjusting the lay of the elements being advanced longitudinally to form a cable by a forming mechanism including a rotatable cable advancing member and a rotatable element stranding member, the cooperation of which determines the lay of the elements, a drive therefor comprising in combination therewith, an electrical pulsing circuit, an impulse counting means therefor, means associated with the advancing member arranged to intermittently actuate the pulsing circuit whereby a series of impulses per unit of length of the advancing cable is transmitted to the counting means, a disabling means included in the pulsing circuit, and means associated with the stranding member arranged, after a predetermined rotation thereof, to actuate the disabling means.

3. Apparatus for indicating and adjusting the lay of the elements being advanced longitudinally to form a cable by a forming mechanism including a rotatable cable advancing member and a rotatable element stranding member, the cooperation of which determines the lay of the elements, and a variable speed drive therefor comprising in combination therewith, a revolution counting circuit having incorporated therein a counting means arranged to count a predetermined number of the revolutions of the stranding member, means associated with the stranding member arranged to intermittently actuate the counting means, an electrical pulsing circuit having incorporated therein an impulse counting means, means associated with the advancing member arranged to intermittently actuate the pulsing circuit whereby a series of impulses per unit of length of the advancing cable is transmitted to the impulse counting means, coordinating means between the counting circuit and pulsing circuit arranged to transmit the impulses simultaneously during the predetermined revolutions, and adjusting means to vary the speed of the drive.

4. Apparatus for indicating and adjusting the lay of the elements being advanced longitudinally to form a cable by a forming mechanism including a rotatable cable advancing member and a rotatable element stranding member, the cooperation of which determines the lay of the elements, a drive therefor, comprising in combination therewith, a revolution counting circuit having incorporated therein a counting means arranged to count a predetermined number of the revolutions of the stranding member, means associated with the stranding member arranged to intermittently actuate the counting means, an electrical pulsing circuit having incorporated therein an impulse counting means, means associated with the advancing member arranged to intermittently actuate the pulsing circuit whereby a series of impulses per unit of length of the advancing cable is transmitted to the impulse counting means, and coordinating means between the counting circuit and pulsing circuit arranged to transmit the impulses simultaneously during the predetermined revolutions.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,804,911 Alden May 12, 1931 2,224,110 Walsh Dec. 3, 1940 2,247,481 Cooper July 1, 1941 2,509,372 Seifried May 30, 1950 2,533,460 Huck Dec. 12, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS 550,398 France Dec. 12, 1922 

